SNF Paideia Program at Penn expands through additional support from SNF

The expansion will see the creation of additional courses that will reach 1,000 students each year, the growth of the SNF Paideia Fellows program to include a quarter more students, the advent of new programming open to all on campus, and support for student clubs to incorporate meaningful dialogue into their activities.
Learn more about the expansion.

“Since SNF first collaborated with Penn to create and support the SNF Paideia Program, the need for its thoughtful work to foster civil discourse and civic engagement has only become more pressing,” said SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos. “We are thrilled that with this ongoing growth and expansion of the program, more students will be able to experience the chance to connect across divides, to encounter new perspectives, and to build the skills and habits that shape a lifetime of active and productive citizenship.”

“Teaching the skills and habits of citizenship, service, and wellness are among Penn’s highest callings. We are extraordinarily grateful to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for their continued support of this innovative—and extremely necessary—program,” said Penn’s Interim President, Wendell H. Pritchett.

“True to its name, in less than three years, the SNF Paideia Program has cemented its place as a new model for educating the whole person by providing Penn students with the concepts and tools they need to become thriving and conscientious citizens of the world,” said SNF Paideia Faculty Director Michael X. Delli Carpini. “This generous grant will enable even more Penn students to experience the lifelong benefits of the SNF Paideia Program.”

Established in 2019, the SNF Paideia Program at the University of Pennsylvania seeks to imagine a new approach to educating students as whole people and citizens, drawing inspiration from ancient Greece and the concept of “paideia,” which indicated the rearing and education of the ideal citizen.